Aviary, an intuitive feature rich photo editor.

Aviary, an intuitive feature rich photo editor.

When July showed up this year those gray skies and showers continued. But I know, as a son of the Pacific Northwest, that real summer doesn’t actually begin until July 7th. It’s one of those secret insider things, but I was fooled. They're still oscillating over the area.

Why the weather talk? Well as one who roams the Puget Sound Region for work and play, I love taking photos. Yet, looking through my picture folders for May, June, and into July, I noticed most of the pics are a darkish broody bluish gray with lots of scenes through windows and raindrops.

Meanwhile, working on a few new workshops centered around productivity and getting things done in the field, I'm focusing (no pun intended) on camera apps. Often, I wait until I get home or back to the office to get photos ready for online. How old fashioned is that? I envy my friends who get it all done on their smartphones.

The first photo app I played with that felt very intuitive and easy to use from the get go was Aviary. It’s rich with easy to use tools for all your basic (and beyond) needs. So far, I’m just using the free toolset, but you can add other effects by the pack (Grunge, Nostalgia, and ViewFinder) for only 99¢ each.

The effects are clean and precise and look intentional, not gimmicky. My favorites are the adjustment tools for cropping and sharpness, and the lighting tools for brightness, contrast, and saturation.

When you shoot under gray skies as much as I do, your work tends to lose a lot of background detail, and your field of depth is often flat. The 1st photo at the The Comic Den lacked sizzle and the reflection in the window from across the street was mirky and dull. I cropped it a little, then used the vivid effect, toned it down a little with saturation, then finished with the balance tool under Enhance. This really brought it together and the background came alive with depth.

The 2nd photo of the Seattle Public Library downtown was similar. It was flat and lacked detail. Aviary tools helped me to bring out the foreground and add detail to the background. I liked the reflection off the glass and the fact I can see through to the inside lights that become part of the composition with the window framing.

This last photo is the front display window at Renton Western Wear. It was taken late in the day after the Farmers Market a little after 7:00 pm. I was in the shadows and the result was almost a dark sepia. I was impressed that I was able to get the colors of the wagon wheel and the brass horse balanced and it didn't take away any of the detail.

The app is for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone 7. It's a great addition to my toolbox, fun to use, and works seamlessly with my iPhone 4s camera. There’s a lot more, but I didn’t want to write a whitepaper today, just a quick review. Check it out, Aviary is an intuitive feature rich photo editor for mobile and web.

Posted by

René Fabre

"Where there's conversation, there's opportunity."

Please Note - The views expressed herein reflect only the individual’s personal views and are not the views of the author’s employer.

Thank you Rene. I'm always on the search for cool Apps and Aviary sounds like a good one to have. Time to check out the link you provided.

Hi John... I think you'll really like the demo and the app. A lot of times, depending of course on the project, but if you're just sharing pictures, or taking location shots for a blog post, it would be cool to get it done while you're out and about. This is a great app for that.

Rene' - Although I'm impressed with all these photos, that last one of the Renton Western Wear window really grabs my attention! I continue to be amazed at what can be accomplished by some of the apps and photo editing tools out there these days!

Myrl: I'm new to editing photos on a smartphone. As I mentioned, I off loaded them to my PC or uploaded to Picnik etc. I was impressed with Aviary because of the ease of use and the quality. Thanks so much for the feature!

Great shots! With all the features picture apps include these days and the improving resolution quality camera phones produce, my iphone has become my camera of choice. I'll have to look into this Aviary program, I've been using an app called, Awesome Camera which I like but it will be nice to see how it stakes up with yours.

Rene' when I read the Title Aviary I was expecting a Post about Birds:))) that just shows you how much I know a bout "cool, hip, new apps":))) funny thing is my other half thinks I am so computer & internet savvy:))) I am so glad you keep bringing these cool things to AR...I remember when you turned us on to YELP:)) now we are so hip and cool with our friends and clients! Thank you Rene' Aviary is next on my list to get to know better:))

Rene' thanks so much for the heads up about this new app. I just downloaded it and have spent the last 1/2 hr playing with it. I'm thrilled!! It does everything I've been looking for and some extras! Good call.

Endre: I'm on a mission to replace some working habits. There's so much to do and so much to know! I've got to get more done in the field and Aviary is a welcome new app to my toolbox. Oh, by the way. When I first heard about it I almost went on by without taking a good look. I thought it had something to do with birds too... :O)

Gary: Thanks! The more I play with it the better I like it. And, editing on the smartphone is new to me. I'm loving the crop tool and the balance tool...

You make me so tempted to run out and get the iPhone 4S, but I'm trying to hang on until the 5, or whatever they decide to call it comes out. I would love to play with the Aviary app and try out the camera on the 4S, I know it's much better than the one in my old 3G.

Since Pinterest has taken the web by storm, I have been noticing a lot more people mobile blogging. Meaning they are doing a lot more blogging directly from their phones and apps like this sure will help.

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